{"id":20819,"date":"2024-05-03T13:10:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T03:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/extranet\/?p=20819"},"modified":"2024-05-23T14:39:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T04:39:23","slug":"ed-ckw-20240503-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/extranet\/facility-messages\/ed-ckw-20240503-2","title":{"rendered":"Message from the Executive Director"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Karlene

Karlene Willcocks, Executive Director<\/p><\/div>\n

Firstly, Happy Administrative Professionals Day!<\/h4>\n

Our administration professionals range broadly from our complaints team, to our ESOs, to our reception staff, to our Health Information team, community and consumer engagement and beyond… and while our Medical, Nursing and Allied Health staff are often well recognised, our administration teams are often the quiet background enablers or, in fact, the front of our service for patients and communities.<\/p>\n

This means they hold a very high responsibility in influencing our community’s experience of our hospital. My job would certainly not be possible without the team of administrators that work with me to keep things on track, lead communication with our community and patients, and simply help juggle all the demands we face at CKW. Please know how important you all are and thank you!<\/p>\n

I will send a message on Tuesday to celebrate the\u00a0CKW Administration Professional Day awards nominees and winners.<\/p>\n

Well, it has been another week of high demand across our CKW directorate and as I visited different places this week, I was reminded of the importance of team. In every area I visited, they spoke of the challenges they had been facing but the joy of the team they worked in and with.<\/p>\n

As I visited Ward 3A and spoke to Nurse Unit Manager Tarryn Day and some of her team, they spoke about the complexity of the patients they were seeing and some of the frustrations related to the Model of Care not being what they had thought they would be working in… but they then spoke happily about the team that pulled in to make the days pass with positive patient care being provided.<\/p>\n

I also visited Ward 2A which, although a surgical ward, has been proficiently and expertly looking after a lot of complex medical patients. I found Nurse Unit Manager Colleen\u00a0Herrmann doing a ‘spring clean’ behind Pyxis machines and drug cupboards and, as we spoke, Nursing Director\u00a0Jeffrey Andersen jumped in to help.<\/p>\n

Colleen spoke about the hard days and working with her team to get through these days and how everyone pulled together.<\/p>\n

It has certainly been a tough time up on Ward 2A with staff members having personal tragedies and as I chatted with Nurse Manager\u00a0Liza Williams. We\u00a0spoke about how the team had pulled in to not only fill the extra shifts required across 2A and PPW, but also to offer support to those staff affected both directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n

I really want to remind everyone how much easier our jobs are when we work together, not only in our areas, but across our system. I so often watch teams working very, very hard but then almost butting up against another team that is also working very, very hard.<\/p>\n

I really challenge you all to ask people if they are ok? And be overt in the question of how might we work together to get the best outcome for this patient?<\/p>\n

I also this week travelled out to Kilcoy \u2013 as those of you know who regularly read my message, I love Kilcoy and often ponder how we might transit some of the beauty and healing calm feel from Kilcoy to Caboolture.<\/p>\n

However, this week was tinged with a little sadness, as we remembered and recognised two very important members of the team:<\/p>\n

\n

Remembering Michelle Wolff<\/h3>\n

This week, I want to remember former staff member Michelle Wolff.<\/p>\n

Michelle was driving home on the D\u2019Aguilar Highway towards her family farm at Harlin just before Christmas in 2021 when her car collided head-on with another vehicle being driven in the opposite direction and she was killed.<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s still a very hard time for Michelle\u2019s family and her former colleagues at Kilcoy Hospital.<\/p>\n

Please reach out if you need help. The Metro North Employee Assistance Program is a free service through TELUS Health (formerly Benestar). Phone\u00a01300 360 364.<\/p>\n

Further options for CKW staff to find help – including Peer Responders – is available on QHEPS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Thank you and farewell Caril<\/h3>\n

I was also saddened to hear that Caril Davis passed away last week. Caril joined the Kilcoy Hospital Auxiliary in 2008 and was the Treasurer for many years.<\/p>\n

Caril\u2019s dedication to Kilcoy Hospital and her community was truly remarkable. She spent countless weeks and months every year organising and delivering the Kilcoy Hospital Auxiliary Fete to raise funds for the hospital.<\/p>\n

Caril approached every task with a contagious positive spirit. Her commitment to serving others was matched only by her warmth and kindness. We thank her for all she did for her community and Kilcoy Hospital.<\/p>\n

I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Caril\u2019s family and to the Kilcoy Hospital Auxiliary members. Caril will be farewelled on Thursday 9 May at St Mary\u2019s Anglican Church in Kilcoy.<\/p>\n

The 2024 Kilcoy Hospital Auxiliary Fete will be going ahead on Saturday 25 May and I encourage you all to attend and enjoy the celebration and help raise funds in honour of Caril.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I would like to note that even though some staff on site did not know these people, every staff member was mindful and respectful and had leant in to support staff who did.<\/p>\n

Again, how important is team to our work and our working lives. Kilcoy really epitomises this with such a strong, multidisciplinary team that, to be honest, often feels more like a family.<\/p>\n

I was also there to say thank you to Leanne Young, who has covered the NUM role for the past six weeks while Annette Tones has had a well-deserved break. Thank you, Leanne – you have done a sterling job and excited to be heading back to Caboolture Satellite Hospital to cover the NUM role there.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0little birdie told me that Leanne Hardie then takes over for a week to let Annette have a little more of a break!<\/p>\n

I do get out and about each week to different areas and love the learnings I get from you all as you talk to me about your realities and joy at work, professionally and personally. If you have not seen me for a while or have exciting things happening, please let me know or invite me to an event in your area I really love to hear directly from you.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

Nursing and Midwifery Awards<\/h3>\n

As we celebrate our staff, we begin a three-week celebration with Administrative Professionals Day today, followed by The International Day of the Midwife and then International Nurses Day, which are all extraordinarily important in our calendar.<\/p>\n

The International Day of the Midwife is celebrated on Sunday (5 May). The theme for this year is \u201cSustainable Midwifery: Caring for Tomorrow’s World.\u201d<\/p>\n

International Nurses Day is always celebrated on May 12 the anniversary of Florence Nightingale\u2019s birth. The theme is \u201cOur Nurses.\u00a0Our Future.\u00a0The economic power of care\u201d which is a call to action to invest more in the nursing profession.<\/p>\n

All these days recognise the invaluable contribution\u00a0our staff make to healthcare around the world.<\/p>\n

To celebrate these events, we have the Administrative Professionals Day celebration today, as I previously mentioned, to recognise administration staff.<\/p>\n

This will be followed closely by the Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford Directorate nursing and midwifery awards, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to our team and the wider healthcare community.<\/p>\n

Nominations have now closed and I was thrilled to hear we\u2019ve received 77 nominations over the seven categories.<\/p>\n

We will announce the finalists next week and present the winners and highly commended recipients at the CKW Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards ceremony in the Caboolture Hospital Lecture Theatre on Wednesday 15 May from 10.30am to 11.30am.<\/p>\n

This event is sponsored by our friends at QSuper. Thank you to QSuper for your ongoing support of CKW.<\/p>\n

I encourage you to attend the awards presentation in person or join via Microsoft Teams.\u00a0I hope that you will be able to join us to celebrate the achievements of our colleagues.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to our patients and our team.<\/p>\n

USC Midwifery Event<\/h3>\n

I am also excited that the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is hosting an International Day of the Midwife Event: Birthing Together: Celebrating Midwifery Care\u00a0<\/em>on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The event will include a presentation for the USC 2024 Student Midwife of the Year and Local Midwife of the year, as voted by USC midwifery students.<\/p>\n

The three midwives from Caboolture Hospital nominated by USC students for Midwife of the Year are Verena Nemetala, Kristy Murray and Alina Fagan. Such a great acknowledgement of your work.<\/p>\n

CKW Women, Children and Family Service Line Nursing and Midwifery Director Marcia Morris will also present Caboolture Hospital\u2019s midwifery Models of Care at this event.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Give<\/a>Flu Shot reminder<\/h3>\n

It is so important that we get vaccinated.<\/p>\n

This is to protect you, but more importantly your family, our patients and our community.<\/p>\n

Our aim is 85 per cent of staff having the flu vaccination. Earlier this week, just 24 per cent of CKW had been vaccinated. We must focus on this.<\/p>\n

Metro North Health makes the flu vaccination available free to all staff. I strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated so you can continue to look after our patients, particularly during the winter months, when we often see a spike in respiratory infections.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where you can have a free flu vaccination at Caboolture Hospital and Caboolture Satellite Hospital next week:<\/p>\n

Tuesday 7 May \u2013 Thursday 9 May<\/strong><\/p>\n